2650: 8 Edits for a Simpler Better Life by Lisa Avellan of No Sidebar on Minimalism, Simplicity & Intentional Living

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[00:00:40] This is Optimal Finance Daily, Episode 2650, 8 Edits for a Simpler Better Life by Lisa Aveyan

[00:00:48] with nosidebar.com and I'm your host and personal finance enthusiast, Diania Merriam.

[00:00:55] Welcome back to our Sunday bonus episode where I share an extra article with you from a different

[00:01:00] podcast in our network. And today's episode is coming from our very first podcast,

[00:01:06] Optimal Living Daily. You can find that show wherever you're listening to this.

[00:01:11] And please do follow or subscribe to the show to get new episodes every day.

[00:01:15] So with that, here's Justin with the article as we optimize your life.

[00:01:24] 8 Edits for a Simpler Better Life by Lisa Aveyan of nosidebar.com

[00:01:31] Quote, perfection is achieved not when there's nothing more to add,

[00:01:35] but when there's nothing left to take away. Antoine Dessonne-Ecjupari.

[00:01:42] I heard Rob Bell say once when he is editing a book, he knows he's making progress

[00:01:46] when he starts to cut out really good stuff. I wondered why he would cut that out of his book.

[00:01:52] How would leaving out the good make his book better? It occurred to me that as an aspiring

[00:01:57] minimalist, I spent a lot of time analyzing the clutter in my life, mind and home,

[00:02:02] and little time assessing the usefulness and purpose of the good that I choose to keep.

[00:02:08] It's silly really because isn't that the point of removing the clutter to enjoy what

[00:02:12] remains? Minimalism questions everything. We remove the obvious clutter and then we are left

[00:02:18] to challenge what we believe to be good and worthy, all that made the cut. The answers

[00:02:23] can surprise us. Sometimes the good is not great all the time. It sounds counterintuitive,

[00:02:29] but we often have to edit really good stuff in our lives in order to tell our best story.

[00:02:35] A simple life tells the biggest story. You've heard of Less is More and the cutting room

[00:02:40] floor and how the best of film and TV is lying on it. It's not an uncommon theme,

[00:02:45] but we rarely apply it to the way we live. We bring good things into our lives with the hope that

[00:02:50] they will solve a certain problem or desire. Books, clothing, machines, furniture, events,

[00:02:57] people, etc are all at one point good things to add, but at some point down the line,

[00:03:03] some of those things no longer fulfill that need or desire. When Rob Bell wrote the first

[00:03:08] drafts of his book, he added certain good material because at that time it was useful.

[00:03:13] Later during the editing process, the need changed for that material. That doesn't make it less good.

[00:03:20] Editing revealed the story he was actually trying to write.

[00:03:24] Minimalism is deeper and wider than keeping the good stuff. It strips away our outer layers

[00:03:30] and exposes the inner parts of ourselves that we haven't tended to for far too long.

[00:03:34] It exposes the sneaky ways Clutter disguises itself. It reveals our insecurities and all the

[00:03:40] characters we create to navigate life in a fickle culture. You may have good things,

[00:03:45] but for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time. Minimalism is keeping the right good

[00:03:51] at the right time. Editing the good from our lives isn't permanent. It's a practice

[00:03:55] of intentional choices that serves us in the present. The present is always changing,

[00:04:01] so it may have been good in the past might not be now or what is not good now might be good in

[00:04:07] the future. Perhaps it's a good thing that doesn't fit in with our new simple life. We are pairing

[00:04:13] down to live our best life and some good doesn't fit in with our new lifestyle. Simplicity is about

[00:04:20] subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful experience a better life. If you're

[00:04:27] looking for a simpler, better life here are a few changes you can make.

[00:04:31] Number one, edit your wants. When we want only the simple, practical and best things in our lives,

[00:04:38] it means changing the things we want. Consider the desires you have and if adding it to your

[00:04:43] life is worth the time, effort, space, etc. Number two, unsubscribe from good but not currently

[00:04:51] useful email lists. Edit your inbox of what's not adding value in a practical way

[00:04:57] that may mean forgoing really good information for the sake of your time,

[00:05:00] focus and productivity. When it's relevant to you, resubscribe. Number three, reduce the social media

[00:05:08] platforms you use. Choose your favorite platform and follow your favorite people, blogs, companies

[00:05:14] and celebrities. More than likely they will be on most platforms posting the same information to

[00:05:19] each. You won't miss out and it'll be more present in your own life by narrowing your

[00:05:24] attention. Number four, donate your good books. You can keep some books but of those you've read

[00:05:32] and know you probably won't read again, donate to your local library or thrift store or if it's

[00:05:37] particularly good one share with a friend. Number five, cut back on good commitments.

[00:05:44] Learn to say no. My husband and I decided to not continue leading a small group

[00:05:48] Bible study for this current season of our lives. Through our process of editing,

[00:05:52] we recognize the desire and need to spend our evenings at home while our kids are so young.

[00:05:57] Choosing to say no to this particular commitment was not easy but it creates much needed margin to

[00:06:03] enjoy our daughters and protect our family boundaries. Number six, cut back on social spending.

[00:06:10] Save money by entertaining at home rather than weekly happy hours with friends or co-workers

[00:06:16] or drop the food and drink all together and suggest a different activity such as

[00:06:20] hiking or checking out a local free tourist attraction. Number seven, downsize your home.

[00:06:27] I've seen people move to smaller homes to simplify their life. They discovered the reduced living

[00:06:31] space increased their intentionality concerning what they allow into their home and how they

[00:06:36] use the space they have. Large homes can be good but could a smaller home be better?

[00:06:42] And number eight, set boundaries with family and friends. Family and friends usually have

[00:06:48] great intentions and we certainly love them. However, there are those times when it's necessary

[00:06:53] to ask for space. Pay attention to your needs for space and where those boundary lines are crossed.

[00:06:59] When boundaries are challenged, resentment builds. Be honest but gentle. Minimalism is a paradox

[00:07:06] of addition by subtraction adding to our lives by removing the excess. Consider taking your

[00:07:13] minimalist journey deeper into the good stuff. You might find that less is more even there.

[00:07:23] You just listened to the post titled Eight Edits for a Simpler, Better Life by Lisa Aveyan of

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[00:09:20] Thank you, Delisa. A good list of things to consider. As usual, don't try them all at once but if

[00:09:26] one stood out, try it, see if it works in your life and if not, move on to another.

[00:09:31] That's the beauty of the stuff I read to you here. There are over 2,000 articles to choose from with

[00:09:36] insights and ideas to try anytime you like and there's no one size fits all. It's cliche but true.

[00:09:43] I've been reading these articles to you every single day for many years now and when people

[00:09:48] ask me what's that one biggest takeaway from reading all of these articles? It's really

[00:09:53] that there is no one big takeaway because what works for one person will not necessarily work for

[00:09:59] another. We may all come from the same place but we're all unique and that means we'll all be

[00:10:04] very different in what makes our own personal lives the most meaningful. I just hope this podcast

[00:10:10] can help you figure out what that is. I think it's been helping me personally because if I

[00:10:14] didn't put this effort into making sure I get these positive messages consistently,

[00:10:19] I'm not sure I'd get them enough and the reminder is a really good thing to have.

[00:10:23] I talked about this a bit last week in a Brian Tracy article that was episode 2064 so you

[00:10:28] can check that out for more. That should do it for today. Thank you for listening and being here

[00:10:32] and for subscribing to the show. Have a great rest of your day and I'll be back for the Thursday

[00:10:36] show tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.